Bread of Life, JIL

” Then Jesus said,’ What is the Kingdom of God like? How can I illustrate this? It is like a tiny mustard seed that a man planted in the garden; it grows and becomes a tree, and the birds make nests in its branches.’ ” Luke 13:18-19

” He also asked, ‘ What else in the Kingdom of God like? It is like the yeast a woman used in making bread. Even though she put only a little yeast in three measures of flour, it permeated every part of the dough.’ “ Luke 13: 20-21

The Holy Word of God is a living, breathing road map the Lord has provided to each of us. Whether we use it or not is totally up to you and me. Living in his Kingdom here on earth means that we trusting that God will provide for us, being thankful when he does and then being satisfied with what he provides. When we begin to live in his word our lives change. They change because we allow his word to grow and be nurtured within us. Our faith becomes stronger each time we depend upon what God does for us or when we depend on what we know he can and will do for us. The Kingdom of God begins to permeate just as the yeast does, in the example he gave to those in Luke 13. It begins to take over, not just one part of us, but our life in totality. As we begin to do the things we are instructed and live the word as we are told and shown how to do, He begins to get involved in other parts of our life. Our faith grows stronger each time and we begin to produce what our Lord has intended for us to produce. We become mournful over sin, submissive to God’s will, passionate for righteousness, compassionate, merciful, authentic, ethical, peacemakers, and joyful even when things don’t go our way. As we begin to live our lives in this way the blessings begin to flow. When we fulfill our responsibility, we will begin to recognize and enjoy these many blessings. There are Four Pillars of the Kingdom: BELIEVE, LEARN, LIVE AND LOVE. We are to stay in his word, pray every day, give all the glory to our God that he so richly deserves and believe that we receive because He is our source! PRAISE THE LORD IN ALL THINGS!

Daily writing prompt

Interview someone — a friend, another blogger, your mother, the mailman — and write a post based on their responses.

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“Through the resurrection of Jesus, we are given new, everlasting life.” Romans 6:4

” Don’t copy the behavior and customs of this world, but let God transform you into a new person by changing the way you think.” Romans 12:2

” Through the saving work of Jesus on the cross, we are reunited with Christ.” Romans 5:10

We are in the greatest restoration project to ever take place in this world. God is in the process of doing things to restore his children to Him. As we become a part of this restoration project, we must understand what happens during this process. Our God is replacing, renewing, reviving and returning and restoring things in our lives. We are in the process of being rescued by our Lord Jesus. God is replacing our hardened hearts; he is reviving us by the sacrifice of Jesus on the cross; He is renewing our focus by turning it to his mighty word; and He is reuniting us with Him by the death of Jesus on the cross. It is easy to begin on the right path and wander away. It takes great faith and hard work to stay the course and not be shaken in this world of evil. We, however, have a great God. He is so great that he forgives the sins we have committed, throws them away never to remember them again. He is so great that He desires to have us close to Him and to live the kind of lives we are to live when we are close to Him. The time is close for his return. He is at the end of watching the evil being done to His children in this world. We are in the last days and just as the devil is working long hours to take us away from God, our Lord is working harder at restoring our values and love for Him. He does not want to lose even one person to the devil. We sometimes wonder why it takes so long for God to show us his final outcome. The reason is that there are still those in the world showing promise of coming back and being restored. Our Lord is still working, saving, forgiving and healing those who need it. He is so loving and compassionate that he wants as many as possible to come to everlasting life. Our country is in restoration mode. The right people are about to be put into place to change things for the good. God’s mighty hand is working hard and never sleeps. You and I must stay on course and be willing and able to be used by God when he needs to use us for the saving of others. We never know when or where but we can be assured that God will use us if we just submit and are willing to give. God’s great restoration project is in action, and we are right in the center. PRAISE THE LORD IN ALL THINGS!

Daily writing prompt

How are you feeling right now?

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” Wait patiently for the Lord. Be brave and courageous. Yes, wait patiently for the Lord. ” Psalm 27:14

” Be dressed for service and keep your lamps burning, as though you were waiting for your master to return from the wedding feast. Then you will be ready to open the door and let him in the moment he arrives and knocks.” Luke 12: 35-36

” You also must be ready all the time for the Son of Man will come when least expected.” Luke 12:40

There is a purpose. God has a purpose in everything he does, and he has a purpose for everything we do. Whether we are going through ups or downs in our lives our God has a plan. He created this plan in the beginning and has never changed it. You and I are a part of his plan. As followers of Jesus, we are soldiers in the army of God. Our party is not Democrat or Republican but instead we are the party of faith. We put on our uniform each day and go out into the world weaponized with the true word of God and all the tools necessary to overcome the evil that comes against us. We can rest assured that our God in heaven is working behind the scenes to confront and defeat the devil at this own game. Those who are evil in this world should be concerned, they should be fearful of what is happening. The devil knows. He knows exactly what his future is. He knows Jesus personally and even tried hard to get Jesus to change uniforms. Our faith in the truths and the promises of our Lord are what carry us forward. It is faith that reminds us that the Holy Spirit lives in us and directs us in good and bad situations. It is our faith that allows us to be strong in the Word and not be fearful or worried about the things to come. As humans we do get concerned from time to time and I believe that our Lord is ok with that. It is through the fires that we walk that our faith becomes even stronger. Each time we overcome, each time we are victorious, each time we have troubles, we know for a fact that our Lord God in heaven has his hand in the issue and will turn those troubles into good for his purposes. We are His children! We are His army! He has a plan and a purpose, and we are a part of it! Let us be patient in waiting on Him. He is about to come back, and we are to be ready. We are to stand up and be fearless in these troubled times! Jesus is coming soon! PRAISE THE LORD IN ALL THINGS!

Daily writing prompt

What daily habit do you do that improves your quality of life?

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” Can all of your worries add a single moment to your life?” Luke 12:25

” Everything that does not come from faith is sin.” Romans 14:23

If we were take the time to consider how many minutes a day we worry, we would be amazed. When we worry, we are suggesting that God cannot be trusted to take care of us. We are putting ourselves in situations where we distrust, mistrust, and doubt our God in heaven. Worry is always wrong. It paralyzes active faith in our lives. When we worry, we take over responsibility for the things we never intended to handle. When we worry our minds are divided between what is useful thinking and what is hurtful thinking. When we worry, we take our thoughts and actions away from the Lord and put them on ourselves and we take the place of God in our lives. Worry opens the door to worldliness. Worry causes fear to crowd out faith. Worry shortens our life instead of extending it. Worry is evil and not good!

It is very important that we recognize that worry is sin. It is a confession of the lack of faith in our existence. To change our direction from worry to faith we must be able to change our focus. We must concentrate on Jesus and not the world. We must confess our faith and not worry. We must give thanks to the Lord in our times of trouble instead of confessing our fears and doubts. We must confess Jesus in our life and all of His great and everlasting promises. Where are your today? Are you embedded in worry or are you embedded in faith? If worry has overcome your life, then pick up your bible and begin to read. Pick up your prayer life and make it more consistent. Begin to give glory to God in heaven and He will bless you in bad and good times! Faith is of God, but worry is of the devil. PRAISE THE LORD IN ALL THINGS!

Daily writing prompt

What was the last thing you searched for online? Why were you looking for it?

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” Be strong and courageous! Do not be afraid or discouraged. For the Lord your God is with you wherever you go.” Joshua 1:9

” Jesus replied, BUT EVEN MORE BLESSED ARE ALL WHO HEAR THE WORD AND PUT IT INTO PRACTICE.” Luke 11:28

” Look straight ahead and fix your eyes on what lies before you. Mark out a straight path for your feet; stay on the safe path. Don’t get sidetracked; keep your feet from following evil.” Proverbs 4: 25-27

Without Jesus in our lives, we are just existing in the world. We have no plan for our eternal future, and we become a part of the world. When we accept Jesus, we can depend upon our Lord being with us in all that we do. We are not to be afraid to stand up and be counted as who we are. We are not to become discouraged in our travels with Jesus. Instead, we are to keep our focus. We are to look straight ahead and march toward eternal life with Him leading the way. It is when we look behind us or to the left or the right that we become tempted to turn and go a different direction. It is then that we take our eyes off of Jesus and begin to concentrate on other things that lead us into confusion and ways of life that we try to support from our own resources. It is then that we get ourselves into trouble and go through experiences that we could have avoided. Yes, we are all human and we all make mistakes. Jesus is always there to pick us up when we do. However, Jesus tells us that even more blessed are those who hear the word and put it into practice. Doubts, worries and fears suddenly go away when we live in faith. We are able to do things that we were once unable to do. Our lives become books that are being read by those around us. We are living examples of how God wants us to live and represent Him. Remember, faith comes by hearing and hearing by the Word of God. Stay focused, read His Word, pray every day and give Him the glory and the praise He so richly deserves. PRAISE THE LORD IN ALL THINGS!

Daily writing prompt

What TV shows did you watch as a kid?

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” Now faith is the assurance of things hoped for, the conviction of things not seen.” Hebrews 11:1

Living a life of faith is not the easiest thing you will ever do. It takes a sincere dedication of believing in the things unseen and not the things of this world. Some will persecute you and others will laugh. It is not our natural human nature to live with faith in the things we cannot see. We were all born sinners. As a human we believe in the things that we see and not the things we don’t see. However, when Jesus comes into our lives we change. It takes faith to believe in in our God in heaven. It takes faith to believe in Jesus and how he accomplished his mission on this earth. You and I are not to just profess faith in our lives, but we are to live our faith. God provides us with many promises throughout the bible. We must understand and believe that he never fails on any of his promises. He is always faithful. We too, are to be faithful. We too are to be trusting in what he says and focus on Him and not the world around us. We must be faithful to read his word, study his commands and live our lives without hypocrisy. Those around us, whether believers, or non-believers are watching. They watch to see how we live, talk and survive. Our ways should be different. Our God is a spiritual God, one who is all encompassing and with us in good times and bad times. He is with us when we are down and when we are celebrating. To live in faith, we must be able to see things through the perspective our God in heaven. We must be able to listen to the Holy Spirit and do as He instructs us to do. We must be dedicated to the study of his word and pray with sincerity. We must believe what we pray and that our prayers are answered because they are! We must thank Him and praise Him for his answers and His love for those who sincerely follow and spread his word. We must live by faith; trust by faith and receive by faith! PRAISE THE LORD IN ALL THINGS!

Daily writing prompt

What’s your favorite time of day?

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” No one lights a lamp and then puts it under a basket. Instead, a lamp is placed on a stand, where the light can be seen by all who enter the house.” Luke 11:33

There are a lot of closet Christians who live in the world today. They profess Jesus as their Lord and Savior, but they do it privately without letting others view their joy and excitement for the Lord. People become closet Christians for many reasons, but the main reason is fear. They fear what others will think of them. They fear what declaring their faith will do to their standing within the community. They fear that others may persecute them or make fun of them. They fear that they may be left out of their circle of friends because of what they believe. None of these reasons are good reasons. There is no good reason for hiding what you believe. We worship Jesus because we believe that he died on the cross for our salvation, healing and forgiveness. I remember when I first accepted Christ, I was extremely excited as a newborn Christian. I wanted to yell it at the world. As time went by the fire seemed to get smaller and smaller. I started, to once again, mingle with my friends and make conversation just as the world did. But then I realized that I was supposed to be a witness for my Lord and not a person who hides my faith from those who need to hear it. I began to read the Word every day and live my life in accordance with God’s values and commands. I began to pray each morning before beginning my day and every night before I went to sleep. I invited the Lord, once again, to enter my life, but his time I made him a part of my life. Those around me began to see a difference and I felt good about that. The more I read the bible, prayed and learned scripture, the more confident I became in the Lord and his ways. It is important, especially in today’s world, that we live as we are truly on fire for Jesus. There should be nothing that stands in our way. The evil around us does not fear to expose their values and we should not be afraid to live ours. We must shine brightly in a world of darkness. There are those around us who need the light we provide. Jesus is depending on us to spread his word in every way we can. We must be strong, be fearless and let our light shine! PRAISE THE LORD IN ALL THINGS!

Daily writing prompt

What’s your favorite recipe?

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“Keep your servant from deliberate sins! Don’t let them control me.” Psalm 19:13

Just who is in control of your life? Who is allowed to help you make decisions in your life? Is it a relative? Is it a friend? Is it the circumstances surrounding you? Whoever or whatever is helping you to make decisions are all ok, but we must not allow our sinful nature to control us. We sometimes need those around us to help us keep going in the right direction. Many times, the Lord will use others to help keep us on the right path. He will use them to help us to keep our thoughts rational and not blown away by our surroundings. But we must not forget that we have a hot line to God in heaven. Praying to God in the name of Jesus allows us to take our problems directly to Him. With prayer we allow Him to hear our thoughts and allow Him to be active in our lives. We are inviting our Lord to be a part of what we are doing. We are allowing Him to act and to take us by the hand and lead us in the right direction. Friends, relatives and others who are close to us are a vital part of our decision making. However, there is no one who can or will replace our direct communication with the Lord. If we know Jesus on a personal level, then He knows us on a personal level. We are given full and complete access to our God in heaven through Jesus, and we have a direct hot line to the one who will give us the answers. It is by faith that we must believe that our God hears our prayers. It is by faith that we must allow the Lord to work in our lives. It is by faith that we must be patient and able to wait on the Lord. He loves us and will never fail us! Let us all put Jesus in control of our lives! PRAISE THE LORD IN ALL THINGS!

Daily writing prompt

Tell us about the last thing you got excited about.

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“They searched the scriptures day after day to see if Paul and Silas were teaching the truth.” Acts 17:11

I know people who are steady church goers who have never opened the bible. They attend church every Sunday to hear the Word of God. It is great that they attend Sunday and Wednesday night services. Their dedication is to be commended. However, how do they know what they are being taught is truthful? How do they know, without doubt, that the words they hear, and take as gospel, are coming from the Lord our God in heaven? The short answer is that they really don’t know. They believe that just because it is church everything is trustworthy and from God. I can say with experience that this is a very dangerous practice. We should understand that the devil goes to many churches and gets his hands into many of the teachings. He spills confusion all over. He throws kernels of doubt among the church goers. He can take God’s Word and mix the words so that the meaning comes out differently than the meaning in the context of God’s message. It is always wise to carry your fact checker (your bible) with you. Always follow along and don’t just believe what you hear, but believe what God actually says. There are those who are going down the wrong road because they believe that just because they go to church and listen to the sermon they will be saved. They believe that just because they go out and do good deeds during the week they will get closer to God. There are even those in the world that believe the closer they physically live to the church the safer they are. Good deeds will not get you into heaven. But faith in Jesus will help you to produce good deeds. There is only one way to eternal life and that is through Jesus Christ. It isn’t how close you live to the church that will get you where you want to go. It is your personal relationship with Jesus that will get you there. There is only one way to learn and that is hearing and hearing is by the Word of God. It is up to each of us to search the scriptures just as the hearers of Paul and Silas did. We must know his word, live his word, and be truthful and honest, so others can see and believe in his mighty word through us. PRAISE THE LORD IN ALL THINGS!

Daily writing prompt

Where did your name come from?

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” Be careful to obey all these commands I am giving you. Show love to Lord your God by walking in his ways and holding tightly to Him.” Deuteronomy 11:22

We do a lot of renewing in our lives. We renew subscriptions, we renew prescriptions, we renew our membership to the gym, to Sam’s Club and to anything else that that is meaningful to us. If we forget to renew, then we will eventually find that we have lost access to these much needed or wanted things. There is big difference in what our God is asking us to do and what we already do on a daily basis. The only small difference is that we have the Lord in mind and not our own self-righteousness. We are to renew our spirits each day. We are to go out into the word refreshed and ready to tackle whatever we confront. When we renew our spirits, we rejuvenate our spiritual lives and draw closer to God. It involves shedding our old thoughts, words and actions and adopting a renewed mindset that is in line with God. When we do this, our Lord promises to equip us to live for Him. Each day we may confront many troubles in our lives. But we are not to lose heart. We instead are to renew our spirits and be made ready for these problems. In Ephesians 4:23-24 we are told: “instead, let the Spirit renew your thoughts and attitudes. Put on your new nature created to be like God- truly righteous and holy.” It is very easy to allow ourselves to wander from God and begin to get involved in the world. Since we are surround by the ways of the world it becomes easy to live in its ways and practice these ways on a daily basis. However, to fight this, we must stay connected to our source, our Lord Jesus! Every day He must be a part of everything we do. We must keep Him in our minds and practice what he teaches us. We must use it or lose it. Believe me when I say that it is easier to lose it than to sustain it. We must pray and read his word each day, reminding ourselves of what his ways are. We must practice them until they become a part of us and cannot be lost. We can keep our lives so much simpler if we just renew our spirits each day! PRAISE THE LORD IN ALL THINGS!

Daily writing prompt

What do you love about where you live?

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“Don’t be afraid, just have faith, and she will be healed.” Luke 8:50

” Jesus is the author and the perfecter of faith.” Hebrews 12:2

” All faith in Christ is faith that has come from and through Christ.” Acts 3:16

” Our faith in Jesus Christ saves us and is the gift of God alone.” Ephesians 2: 8-9

” Without faith it is impossible to please God, for he who comes to God, must believe that He is, and that He is a rewarder of those who seek Him. Hebrews 11:6

When it comes to our Lord, faith is everything. Being dedicated to the one we cannot see is a true and honest action that satisfies our Lord God in heaven. It is impossible to even believe in our Lord without faith. The bible tells us in Romans 10:17 that, “faith comes by hearing and hearing by the word of God.” Our God is not a forceful God. He is not going to make us do anything we don’t want to do. He will guide us to the right path, he will help us get through hard times and even heal our physical ailments, but only if we ask and believe without doubt when we do ask. The scriptures for today are just the tip of the iceberg for examples of statements of faith from the Word of God. There is example upon example throughout the bible of those who lived by faith, were saved by faith and healed by faith. There are many examples of those who fought through fear, doubt and worries to overcome great obstacles in their lives by using their faith in God. You and I are no different. We must prove to God that we truly love him. We must be trustworthy by turning our lives over to God in heaven and allowing him to work within us. We must live by example to others,’ to show that our faith is strong, and that the world is secondary because God is our source for life and for everything we need in life. When we pray, we must pray with conviction. We must pray with the belief that the Lord is answering our prayers whether we see immediate results or not. Faith is the foundation of our belief. We must always remember that “we can do all things through Christ who strengthens us.” Philippians 4:13 PRAISE THE LORD IN ALL THINGS!

Daily writing prompt

How do you plan your goals?

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Ecclesiastes 3:1; Ecclesiastes 3:11; 1 Peter 5:6; Isaiah 60:22; Mark 13:32; Matthew 24:7

Time is of the essence in this world today. The world that we live in has always been complicated and confusing for all who have not had a solid relationship with Christ Jesus. The devil was thrown from heaven and allowed to control this world for a short period of time. His time is about over. Our God in heaven is the one who is really in control. He is the one who has set the clock, and he is the one who controls what time it is. In the world we live in everybody seems to be on a time schedule. We all rush around like tomorrow will not come. We seem to always be in a hurry to rush somewhere. What we fail to do is pay attention to what time it is on God’s clock. We neglect to find out just what it is that makes up his clock and why his time is so important to us. His clock was set from the time Adam and Eve first sinned. His time has been running down for centuries upon centuries and getting closer and closer to running out. When it does, he will reset it with a new meaning. The evil of this world will be gone, and the love of our God will be sustained. A new world will be created without sin and those who truly love the Lord will all be a part of this great manifestation. Our God has also set deadlines to be met in his time just as we have worldly deadlines to meet in our time. He lets us know without doubt that he will return but not before certain prophesies and conditions are met. Throughout the existence of God’s church people have always said that the Lord will be returning soon. However, what has been missing throughout time are the fulfillment of these prophesies and conditions. But in today’s scenario all prophesies have been completed and our Lord Jesus stands on the threshold waiting for God to say,” the time is now.” We do not know the exact time nor the exact day, but we do know the season. The season is now. Are you ready? Are you aware of God’s time clock and what it means for us on earth? If not, seek out the bible and its truths. Seek the Lord in prayer and ask his for his help. He loves us and does not want to lose any of us to the devil. PRAISE THE LORD IN ALL THINGS!

Daily writing prompt

Create an emergency preparedness plan.

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” People do not live by bread alone; rather, we live by every word that comes from the mouth of the Lord.” Deuteronomy 8:3

” To the faithful you show yourself faithful. To those with integrity you show integrity.” Psalm 18:25

As followers of Jesus, you and I have a back-up power source. Our Lord Jesus has provided us opportunities for conversations with him during our storms in life. He provides us with his Holy Word to read in times of conflict. He provides us with His Holy Spirit who resides within us and directs us when we are down. It is during great storms in our lives when we sometimes lose power. It is during these times that we feel lost and abandoned. We can’t figure out what to do and we allow confusion to set in. We sit back and wait for the power to come back so that we can once again feel the power of Jesus in our lives. What we need to understand, is that our Lord never leaves us. When the devil tries to take our power source from us all we have to do is flip on the generator from our God in heaven. We should immediately bow down in prayer and ask for his power to be restored. We should immediately go to the Word of God and seek his promises for our life. We should immediately refocus and turn our attention to our faith in Jesus and what he has gone through for us. When we do these things, God puts our problems in perspective. Our power through Jesus comes back on and we are once again able to overcome bad thoughts, bad actions and bad words. We once again are able to walk through the fire of criticism and persecution. We are able to drench our problems with the faith and trust we have in Jesus. If we are faithful to our Lord in all things, then our Lord will be faithful to us in all things. We must remember that the power of Jesus never goes away. The only thing that falters in our times of trouble are our own thoughts, focus and faith. We must always stay strong in the Lord and keep his power flowing into our lives. PRAISE THE LORD IN ALL THINGS!

Daily writing prompt

What is the most important thing to carry with you all the time?

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Scripture: Luke 7:1-10

There are those in this world who believe that there is no way they can be saved. They are spoon fed lies of the devil telling them that they are no good and Jesus will never help them. They believe that they have gone too far and can never satisfy the Lord God in heaven. These people are all around us every day. They are in our workplace, our neighborhoods, at the grocery store and may even live next door to us. Without hearing the Word of God there is no way these people can be saved. Without testimonies that you and I can provide they may have no chance. We are many times put in the right place at the right time for the purpose of being a witness on behalf of Jesus! It is at these times that you and I must listen closely to the Lord and act accordingly. We must always be alert to our Lord and his desires. Sometimes we get wrapped up in our own little world and let these important messages from the Lord pass right by us. We must be ready and willing to go to the front lines and fight for Jesus. It doesn’t matter who we are or where we might be. What matters is that we are in a position to act on the word of God at any time. The lost in this world is just that, they are lost. They cannot find their way without help. Jesus died for us all. There are some who will deny Jesus to the very end but there are those who are seeking him and God is using us to help them find their way. In Romans 7:1-10 we see the Jewish elders being asked by the Roman Officer to go to Jesus and ask for help in healing his slave. They listened and they took action, just as you and I should. It may not seem comfortable at the time but if God is asking, we should respond with joy and celebrate our opportunity. PRAISE THE LORD IN ALL THINGS!

Daily writing prompt

What change, big or small, would you like your blog to make in the world?

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Read Luke 6:46-49

If you have ever built anything you want to make sure that it is built well. When building a house, whether built by you or by a contractor, it is important that it be built to high standards. It must withstand the wind and rain, the snow of winter, storms throughout the summer and the heat of the sun. It must be built so that it holds together and does not fall at the times that are important for it to be strong and safe. It is the same with our relationship with Jesus. When we accept Jesus as our Lord and Savior we are saved. We take our eggs out of all of the other baskets, that we once trusted, and put them into one, that of Jesus. As our relationship grows, we are to increase our trust and faith in his promises and his ways. It is not enough that we just say that we have a relationship with Christ Jesus, we are to demonstrate our faith on a daily basis. Just as we dig a solid foundation for a house, we are to also dig a solid foundation for our relationship with Jesus. It should be built upon solid rock and not on loose and muddy soil. That way, when the storms of life pass through, our relationship does not crumble. It instead, stays strong and withstands all of the forces of evil that come our way. We should keep a check on our foundation with Jesus and continue, each day, to study his word, pray to him, listen to him and do what he tells us to do. It is not enough to just hear his word, but we must hear and be doers at the same time. The more we talk with him and become doers of his word, the stronger our trust and faith become. PRAISE THE LORD IN ALL THINGS!

Daily writing prompt

Describe your life in an alternate universe.

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SCRIPTURE: Read Psalm 37

Have you ever heard the phrase, “Closet Christians”? These are those who acknowledge Christ Jesus in the confines of their own homes, in church where there are those with like worship values or behind closed doors. When they go out into the world, they turn back in to the pumpkin they once were. They fit into the world nicely without a single word about Jesus or even a glancing action or word that would suggest, to the outside world, they know Jesus or anything about Him. Jesus is special in so many ways. You hear others often talk about God in their lives, because a “God” can mean so many things, but not often do you hear them talk about Jesus. The name of Jesus is powerful, so powerful that even the demons run when they hear his name. As born-again Christians we have that powerful name at our fingertips. We have that name right at the end of our tongues. So, why is it so hard to let others know about our relationship with Jesus Christ? Many believe that by using his name they will be persecuted and that something bad will happen to them. Others believe that they will be made fun of. They believe his name is a sign of weakness and that others will look at them as weak and not strong. It truly is just the opposite. The devil and all of his lies have penetrated the lives of many in this world. They have kept many from developing that personal relationship with Jesus and living life with favor, strength, trust and a strong faith. It is time that we stand up and shout to the world just what Jesus is all about. It is time to show the strength and faith that is living within us. It is time to throw away the fear and doubts that plague our every move and every word. It is time to make the demons in our lives, and the devil himself, be sorry they are dealing with us. There is no power greater than the power of the blood of Jesus. The devil and his army may be allowed to win small battles along the way, but the war itself is over. Our God in heaven has already won. He has sealed the fate of the evil one. The devil knows exactly where he is going, and he is doing nothing less than trying to take as many of us with him into his eternal torture. Jesus displayed his love for those who were selfish, hateful, bullish, intimidating, and mean in spirit. You and I are also to show his love to others in just that same way. We are not to condemn or judge but instead present his holy Word in a gracious and loving manner. PRAISE THE LORD IN ALL THINGS!

Daily writing prompt

What’s the most money you’ve ever spent on a meal? Was it worth it?

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” The righteous person faces many troubles, but the Lord comes to the rescue each time.” Psalm 34:19

When we have problems arise in our lives one of the first things that many think is “why me Lord?” We begin to focus on the problem at hand and begin to feel sorry for ourselves. We allow fear, doubt, worry, sadness, anxiety and many other terrible things to take over our thoughts and actions. God has never promised us that we would never have storms in our lives. In all actuality, storms appear when we are doing good things for God. One might ask, “why God are you allowing such things to happen to me when I am working in your will?” The answer is simple. When you and I work on behalf of our God we are being obedient and just in what we do. We are listening to the Holy Spirit and doing the work of the Lord. The devil is not pleased with these circumstances and will attack us, sometimes with great fury. We will go through experiences that many times include sickness, sadness, periods of worry, doubts, fears and even death. It is important that we begin to recognize, not the storm but instead the reason behind the storm. There is a purpose behind every problem that we confront. Our Lord will use each problem for his glory and allow us to be a part of that great event. We must shift our focus from the bad to the good, from the anxieties to the promises of our God in heaven, and from the evil results we see at the first light, to the ending result of our Lord. We must continue to move forward and not look back. There will be many storms in our lives, some small and some large, but our Lord God is our refuge, our healer and our safety net. We must be prepared by knowing his Holy Word and understanding his power. We must continue to trust him even in those times of hardships. When we do, we can rest assured that he will and does come to our rescue! PRAISE THE LORD IN ALL THINGS!

THE LORD’S PROMISE OF THE DAY: PSALM 91:15-16

Daily writing prompt

Scour the news for an entirely uninteresting story. Consider how it connects to your life. Write about that.

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” I know the Lord is always with me. I will not be shaken, for he is right beside me.” Psalm 16:8

” Even when I walk through the darkest valley, I will not be afraid, for you are close beside me.” Psalm 23:4

” Every word of God proves true. He is a shield to all who come to him for protection.” Psalm 30:5

The journey you and I are on seems like it will never end. Sometimes it seems that our bad times last much longer than our good times. We get anxious and want bad things to go away and good things to happen right now! This, however, is not God’s plan. God’s road map for our lives has already been put into place. As a follower of Jesus, we are given directions as how to proceed and where to go. We are told what to do and how to do it. Every move we make and every decision we make should depend upon instructions from the Lord. God has a plan. You and I are a part of his plan, but to be used successfully, we must not only hear what he tells us, but we must do what he tells us. When we listen to the instructions of the Holy Spirit, the bad things do turn to good things. Our lives become a tool for the Lord and when we do what we are to do we become happier and more successful. Jesus is always with us. He never leaves our side. He walked this earth 2000 years ago and he is beside us today as we walk this earth. Our journey in this world may seem long, but to our God in heaven, it is just a moment in time. He will be coming back soon to take those who are ready, home to be with him. His holy word tells us that he will return in the twinkling of an eye. To us our journey may be long but to God the journey we are on is only a short season. We have work to do, and we must listen and be willing to be a mover and shaker for the Lord. We must be willing to put ourselves out there for Jesus. There should be no holding back because what is on the line for us is eternal life! The season that we consider to be so long is about to come to an end. We need to pray and praise our God at every opportunity. He must be first in our lives and everything else second. He loves us and is our helper, our savior, our forgiver, our healer and our refuge in times of need! Be a Jesus person and not a worldly person! PRAISE THE LORD IN ALL THINGS!

Daily writing prompt

List 30 things that make you happy.

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” Fearing people is a dangerous trap but trusting the Lord means safety.” Proverbs 29:25

” The church then had peace throughout Judea, and Samaria, and it became stronger as the believers lived in the fear of the Lord.” Acts 9:31

Living in fear of the Lord is often misinterpreted. Fearing God does not mean being afraid of him. We never need to be afraid of our God who is merciful and gracious. He is pure love. We can all rest assured that he would never hurt those who love him and follow him. There is another word that is translated as “fear” in the bible and that word is “awe”. Fearing our Lord is directing us to have an overwhelming sense of reverence for God and his power. We are to go to God in humility, reverence and submission. We are to trust God and not ourselves. We are to commit to him and become loyal to him by being obedient to his word. We are to be constantly mindful of Him. We should be attentive to his word, his thoughts and his mighty ways. We should be prayerful and full of praise for his mighty presence in our lives. Fearing our Lord can bring us peace in times of trouble because our trust in him is solid and non-wavering. We know without a doubt that he is in total control of all things. However, when we become fearful of those around us, we become slaves to what they think, what they speak and how they live. We become afraid and bow down to their ways because we put our lives in their hands and believe that they control our ways just as they control the ways of those around us. We fall into the trap set before us by the devil himself. It is then that we need to begin to praise our God in heaven. We need to go to him in the precious name of Jesus and pray. We need to pray for strength, wisdom and understanding. We need to, once again, put him first in our lives. We are to fear only our God in heaven. We are not to fear the world or those who try to control it! PRAISE THE LORD IN ALL THINGS!

Daily writing prompt

Describe one habit that brings you joy.

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